Massachusetts State Advisory Committee to U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Boston.

This report concerns conditions in Boston and Springfield, the cities with the largest concentrations of Puerto Ricans in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The lack of adequate statistics on living conditions of Puerto Ricans remains one of the main barriers to determining a solution for any problem of the Puerto Rican community. This situation is particularly serious for the school children, who are classified as "white" or "nonwhite" but never as Puerto Rican. A second impediment permeating all Puerto Rican problems is the language barrier. Agencies in Boston and Springfield consistently had insufficient Spanish-speaking personnel, placing the Puerto Rican in the fringe area of a man who knows his needs but who can find no one to listen. The report is based on three sources of information: statements of speakers at an open meeting held May 11-13, 1971; exhibits submitted directly to the Committee; and telephone conversations with speakers following the open meeting. The contents of these hearings are organized in six parts: education, employment, housing, social services, antipoverty and Model Cities programs, and Federal enforcement. (Author/JM)